Is grey the new green? Or is the future bright?
November 3rd, 2010
Just come back from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) (www.iema.net) annual conference, my sixth (I think) but Dan’s first, and have had a few thoughts during and immediately after the conference, which was one of the best (for me at least), by the way.
Let us start with Dan’s overwhelming feeling about the conference and the participants. He said “there are a lot of grey suits in the room”. I think he was expecting some eco-warriors, or at least his perception of an eco-warrior. But I am an eco-warrior – eco-warriors wear all sorts of costumes, sometimes to stand out and sometimes to blend in. It is however very interesting what someone has to say who is new to and not historically tainted by years of environmental activitism of one sort or other. I sometimes think that environmental professionals are little bit cowed by the weight of expectation and passion.
I think I can speak for many that one of the highlights of the conference was a very motivational presentation by Mike Barry from M&S about Plan A (http://plana.marksandspencer.com/ ). What I recognised in this and other examples of those pushing the sustainability envelope is that they are not obsessed by the weight, inconsistency and complexity of environmental regulations. Those leading the race rise above and set themselves challenging goals that take them way beyond the limitations of a compliance mentality and on into the world of commercial opportunity.
Nirvana perhaps but one that many environmental professionals feel uncomfortable addressing. Much safer to immerse in systems, standards and laws; important at one level but only if they are used to create business opportunity which in turns drives change.
If environmental professionals are to become decision-makers and agents of change at the strategic level we must get out of the office and into the sales department, put down the checklist and into the boardroom with compelling cases for change. Of course these tools are important – but they are tools and we mustn’t lose sight of what we want and need to use them to do – effect change. Too many tools are being used to satisfy a business-as-usual case to the nervous chief executives and directors out there; how to make things less worse, but failing to address the fundamentals.
Our workshop, which I think was well received and challenged those that came to think again about how they communicate in a structured way, was mentioned in dispatches in Jan Chmiel’s (Chief Executive of IEMA and conference chair) summary comments from the first day. What I came away from the workshop with was a feeling that we are a long way from getting to grips with communicating what we want and this comes back to a simple premise, we don’t know ourselves. There was still much comment and questions about “how we get people to listen?” – but as Dan explained in his excellent, short presentation on the who, why, what, where and how of communications, we have to learn to listen before we speak. This is very difficult for a passionate and motivated profession desperate for change, we’ve been waiting for so long to be heard. But he’s absolutely spot on – we have to listen first.
So there is definitely some brightness out there, a glimmer in the end of the tunnel. It won’t be until we get closer to the light that we will see the detail, for now we must work towards it. We can move gradually or make step changes.
Grey implies dullness, while green can mean naivety – neither is right, we need to think brightness and vitality, but above all as Mike Barry made very clear, we need change.
Leave a Reply
Archives
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
Categories
- Adaptation
- Agriculture
- Benefits
- Biodiversity
- Blog
- Carbon Labelling
- Certification
- Climate Change
- Communications blog
- CSR
- Emotional selling
- Environmental management system
- Infrastructure
- ISO14001
- leadership
- Oomph
- Oomph Seminars
- Renewable Energy communication
- Renewables
- Reporting
- Retail
- Running
- Stories
- Sustainability
- Sustainability Pathfinder model
- Transport
- Uncategorized
- USP
Testimonials
It is fantastic to leave a seminar feeling inspired and full of practical ideas. Thursday’s oomph seminar did exactly that, Ben and Dan are naturals at putting an audience at ease which meant real participation from the group. As environmental professionals often form a one person team, it is fantastic to share a room with like minded individuals from local businesses who have faced and tackled similar challenges and can offer insight and advice. Eagerly anticipating the next installment of Oomph!
Nicola Duffy, Environmental Co-ordinator at Highcross, Leicester
Thank you both for inviting us to today’s Oomph seminar. From our point of view, we found the stimulus material and subsequent debate insightful from a sustainability perspective, but also in a wider context applicable to the successful deployment of general business initiatives.
Participant at Oomph Seminar 30 June 2011
Really enjoyed this morning. I have attended very few seminars over the past two years simple because they are all too similar, often the the same speakers and follow the same theme. Today was most importantly enjoyable, interesting and got the brain cells working. I like small groups with variety of people and backgrounds.
Participant at first Oomph Seminar 30 June 2011
